HIMALAYAS—THE DIVINE KING OF
MOUNTAINS

"Before J take you to the celebrated abode of the Gods and
-Goddesses, I would like to aquaint my readers with the basic
structure of the Himalayan geography and geology so that
they are able to enjoy and understand the Himalayas in a
better way.
In Bhagvatgita, Lord Krishna describes himself as "Sthavar-
.anam Himalaya", that is 'among the mountains, I am
Himalaya.' Kalidasa has described Himalayas as 'Devtatma
•Bimalayanam Nagadhiraj' which dipping its eastern ridge in
-the ocean formed the spine and measuring rod of the earth.
The name Himalaya has been derived from two Sanskrit words
**hima* and *alaya' which mean the repository of snow. The
ancient sages have showered immense praise on the beauty
and majesty of the mountains and glorified it as the abode of
Crods and determining factor for the history and culture of
this part of the country. The Vedic Rishis have unceasingly
sung about the beauty of the Himalayas. The epics Mahabh-
Mrata and Ramayana have described it as the kingdom of
•Gods. Puranas describe Himalayas as the stage for many of
the historical incidents depicted therein. In the famed book
Skandpurana there are two separate chapters entitled *Kedar-